By US Racing Staff
This time, the end of the dream for owner Mike Repole came on the morning of the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1).
Forte, the 2-year-old champion and favorite to win Saturday’s Run for the Roses (post time 6:57 p.m. ET), was scratched from the Kentucky Derby by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission after the 3-year-old went through a routine morning gallop and an examination by state veterinarians.
State vets expressed concerns about a bruised right front foot, which appeared to occur on Thursday morning and started the chatter that something might be amiss with Forte.
In 2011, Repole-owned Uncle Mo was the morning-line Derby favorite but was scratched the day before the Derby with gastrointestinal infection.
With a total of five scratches in the past few days, the field has been reduced to 18 from 20. Three also-eligibles were added: Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero, and King Russell.
The last time five horses were scratched from the Derby was 1936 when 19 horses entered and 14 ran.
The week at Churchill Downs has seen four horses die over six days, so it’s not difficult to see why state veterinarians are perhaps being extra cautious.
Forte, trained by two-time Derby winner Todd Pletcher, has won six of seven career races, most recently the Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park. He was to be ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., the nation’s leading jockey.
The other scratches were Skinner (elevated temperature), Practical Move (elevated temperature), Continuar (unfit), and Lord Miles (trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., who had all his horses scratched from Churchill Downs after two of his horses died on the track.
Program numbers remain unchanged but post positions are moved without changing the order of the starters. The 18-horse lineup will break from posts 1-18 in the 20-stall starting gate. Posts 19 and 20 will be empty.
Earlier this week, Repole said he was 0-for-7 in the Derby, and “the pressure of having a horse like this is tough. We all hope and pray and dream that we can get here. When you do, what happens in the days before the race can be scary. He can get sick or hurt or step on something. You just want to get to the gate.”
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hit Show | Franco | Brad H. Cox | West, Gary and Mary | 30-1 |
| 2 | Verifying | Gaffalione | Brad H. Cox | Poulin, Jonathan, Westerberg, Magnier, Mrs. John, Smith, Derrick and Tabor, Michael B. | 15-1 |
| 3 | Two Phil’s | Loveberry | Larry Rivelli | Patricia’s Hope LLC and Sagan, Phillip | 12-1 |
| 4 | Conficence Game | Graham | J. Keith Desormeaux | Don’t Tell My Wife Stables | 20-1 |
| 5 | Tapit Trice | Saez | Todd A. Pletcher | Whisper Hill Farm, LLC and Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck) | 5-1 |
| 6 | Kingbarns | J. Ortiz | Todd A. Pletcher | Spendthrift Farm LLC | 12-1 |
| 7 | Reincarnate | Velazquez | Tim Yakteen | SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Masterson, Robert E., Stonestreet Stables LLC, Schoenfarber, Jay A., Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine | 50-1 |
| 8 | Mage | Castellano | Gustavo Delgado | OGMA Investments, LLC, Restrepo, Ramiro, Sterling Racing LLC and CMNWLTH | 15-1 |
| SCR | Skinner | Hernandez | John A. Shirreffs | C R K Stable | 20-1 |
| SCR | Practical Move | Vazquez | Tim Yakteen | Amestoy, Jr., Pierre Jean, Amestoy, Leslie A. and Beasley, Roger K. | SCR |
| 9 | Disarm | Rosario | Steven M. Asmussen | Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC | 30/1 |
| 10 | Jace’s Road | Geroux | Brad H. Cox | West Point Thoroughbreds and Albaugh Family Stables LLC | 15-1 |
| 11 | Sun Thunder | Hernandez Jr | Kenneth G. McPeek | R.T Racing Stable and Cypress Creek Equine | 30-1 |
| 12 | Angel Of Empire | Prat | Brad H. Cox | Albaugh Family Stables LLC | 8-1 |
| SCR | Forte | I. Ortiz JR. | Todd A. Pletcher | Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable | 3-1 |
| 13 | Raise Can | Corrales | Ben Colebrook | Warren, Andrew and Warren, Rania | 15-1 |
| 14 | Derma Sotogake | Lemaire | Hidetaka Otonashi | Hiroyuki Asanuma | 10-1 |
| 15 | Rocket Can | Alvarado | William I. Mott | Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc. | 15-1 |
| SCR | Lord Miles | Lopez | Todd A. Pletcher | Vegso Racing Stable | 30-1 |
| SCR | Continuar | Sakai | Yoshito Yahagi | Lion Race Horse Co. Ltd. | 50-1 |
| 16 | Cyclone Mischief | J. Rosario | D. Romans | Albaugh Family Stables LLC and Castleton Lyons. | 30-1 |
| 17 | Mandarin Hero | Kazushi Kimura | Terunobu Fujita | Hiroaki Arai. | 20-1 |
| 18 | King Russell | Rafael Bejarano | Ron Moquett | Jones, Brereton C. and Naber Racing, LLC | 50-1 |